5 Best Vietnamese Restaurants in Seattle

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Stateside

Thanks to Seattle’s robust Vietnamese immigrant population, the city is blessed with a wide variety of phenomenal pho restaurants and savory banh mi sandwich shops. There are Vietnamese cuisine hot spots in nearly every Seattle neighborhood, with a higher concentration in Little Saigon, a neighborhood located in the International District. Whether you’re looking for a cheap bite or fine dining, Seattle has an exceptional array of Vietnamese dining experiences.

Green Leaf Vietnamese Restaurant

This family-owned gem draws crowds to its Belltown, International District and Bellevue locations for a reason. Since its opening in 2005, Green Leaf offers an extensive numbered menu with 100 selections. You can opt for the classic rare beef and fatty brisket pho, or take an adventure with marinated catfish and salted pepper squid. Whatever you choose, your mouth is unlikely to be disappointed.

Ba Bar

If upscale Vietnamese cuisine strikes your fancy, Ba Bar in Capitol Hill serves up an out-of-this-world oxtail broth that takes a full 24 hours to prepare. Night owls take heart—this place stays open till 2 a.m. on weeknights and 4 a.m. on weekends. In addition to wild hours, rotisserie meats and finely crafted vermicelli noodles, Ba Bar boasts a beautiful pastry case full of traditional Vietnamese sweets. So hit that all night party in Seattle’s notorious counter-culture neighborhood and recover with a warm bowl of pho in the wee hours.

Saigon Deli

For a quick, cheap bite, Saigon Deli is the answer. Pick up a chicken, pork or vegetarian sandwich for under $4 that will completely blow your mind. Or spend $2 more and get a “lunch box” featuring two entrees and a heaping portion of rice. Located in the International District, place an order to-go and don’t miss out on the $1 egg rolls while you wait. In 2011, The New York Times named Saigon Deli one of the best places for banh mi sandwiches in the United States. With great prices and reviews, this spot won’t let you down.

Tamarind Tree

Tucked away inside a strip mall in the International District, Tamarind Tree is celebrated for its authentic Vietnamese fare and surprisingly beautiful dining room. Enjoy massive portions of marinated pork, prawn coconut rice, fresh Tamarind Tree vegetarian rolls and clever specialty cocktails flavored with lemongrass and lychee. Tables can fill up quickly and the parking lot can be a challenge, but the food is incredible and well-worth the rough edges.

Stateside

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Stateside

For something a little different, try Stateside, a Vietnamese-French mash-up restaurant in Capitol Hill. This upscale joint is bright and inviting with palm-leaf patterned wall paper and an antique-glass backed bar. Chef and owner Eric Johnson presents interesting dishes like duck leg confit à l’orange flavored with Vietnamese spices and savory fried chicken served up with dips like lemongrass ginger, spicy chili and oyster sauce. Stateside is one of the best overall restaurants in Seattle with many dishes incorporating a Pacific Northwest influence. Perfect for a fancy night out on the town or a unique weekend brunch experience.

Enjoy all the Vietnamese restaurants and other cuisines that the city has to offer by finding your next Seattle apartment to call home!

High demand, low inventory, and soaring single-family home prices make Seattle one of the most expensive cities to rent in the country. If you’re moving from San Francisco, New York City or Silicon Valley, the cost of renting in Seattle may seem like an amazing deal. But if you’ve lived anywhere else, then you’ll probably think the rent in Seattle is insane. Booming job growth attracts more newcomers to the city every day, all who need a place to live. But not all is lost. There are a few pockets left where you can still find a relatively affordable place to call home. Here’s a guide to where to live to pay around $1,500 per month in Seattle.

Thanks for checking out Open Doors, the Doorsteps interview series where local business owners invite us in for a look at their lives, their work, and the cities they call home. In this edition, I spoke with founder and CEO of Outsider Comics and Geek Boutique, Jill Taplin, who spoke about living out her dream, the nerd fandom scene in Seattle and making comics more accessible.